Pickled policies

Last updated: 20 April 2016

Seven months after taking the top job and only two and a half months until a double dissolution election, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and his Treasurer
Scott Morrison are preparing to deliver their first Budget.

However, with the parliamentary term soon to come to a close, billions in savings measures
introduced since 2013 are yet to become law. With that in mind, it's worth taking a look back at some of the policy announcements from the first term of
the Abbott-Turnbull government which are still on the cards.

Policy

What happened?

Retirees

Index pensions to Consumer Price Index instead of wage growth

Pause indexation (i.e. decrease in real terms) of income-test-free areas for all pensions

Increase retirement age to 70

Not yet passed

Higher education

Deregulate course fees

Charge interest on HELP student loans by increasing indexation above rate of inflation

Decrease HELP loan repayment threshold from $53,345 to $50,638

Reduce Commonwealth Grants to universities

Pause indexation of HELP loans for carers of young children earning under threshold